One of my favourite tools is a sewing machine. I absolutely love it. I bought it from a lady who was going to throw it away! I drove 5hrs to pick it up and it was cheap because she didn’t value it…
It’s made of metal, it’s heavy and hardy. It can sew leather and heavy denims without any trouble whatever and even sewed my finger once without any damage to the machine (I do NOT recommend sewing your finger… it really, really hurts). Modern day machines are generally made of plastic, move around on the table during use and melt into a ball of goo at the sight of heavy materials.
This Janome is simple… straightforward. The instruction manual is a booklet, not a novel.
I can maintain and service it myself - no special tools or computers required.
It was built to last a lifetime, or two, or maybe even more. It doesn’t have a warranty but it doesn’t matter because it doesn’t need one.
Because it was second hand it cost the Earth nothing in terms of creating a new machine for me to use, did not have plastic or newly created packaging, and this machine isn’t polluting the Earth as human waste in landfill.
Share if you feel to, your favourite vintage (let’s say pre-2000) tech or machine, and why you prefer it over any modern day alternative
I have some analog items that I prefer over digital.
For one, there are my analog cameras. I find photos taken on film simply more vivid, and I love the film grain!
Also, you take much more time for each photo, and do not snap away wildly. After all, you only have 36 shots per film.
Then there’s my typewriter, which, like my cameras, is over 50 years old.
I don’t have to boot up the computer first and get the printer out of the cupboard and connect it, but can write straight away. But again, it’s like taking pictures. You write with care, because the correction is a bit more time-consuming.
And I love the sounds the keystrokes make.
Otherwise, there would be my desk phone with dial and my notebooks and calendars.
And not to forget my vinyl record player, which I prefer to any streaming service. I’ve already compared this here with cooking. Streaming is fast food, while vinyl is putting on and listening comfortably sitting in an armchair, cooking a menu with healthy food. It’s about passion and enjoyment.
And somehow I feel the same way about almost all analog things. They force me to slow down and I love that. Slow living!
And what I forgot, I can fix most of these things very easily. You look at the mechanical operation and understand how these things work. In contrast, who knows what’s going on in their smartphone or computer…?
I recall the first assignment I wrote for school using a typewriter. I felt a sense of pride in utilizing this “high-tech” machine for my work. Following that experience, my mother acquired the next generation of typewriters, featuring a digital screen and the capability to save text before transcribing it. Perhaps the most valuable aspect of owning these devices today is the wholesome nostalgia they evoke in us.
I feel the same about creating slow living by using these devices which require more consideration when being used - being present with what you’re doing
I recall having a huge, heavy typewriter, then a word processor with a teeny screen, perhaps 2 inches long, but just enough to enable corrections prior to printing the line. I can actually recall the sound it made when printing the line - it was quite satisfying!
I do miss having typing and printing all in one device. I don’t miss the sore fingers, wrists and forearms!
featuring a digital screen and the capability to save text before transcribing it.
It’s still a thing. Don’t remember if Astrohaus Freewrite been up here before, but it’s the novelists favourite tool, I guess. Been around since 2016 and currently on its 3rd generation. A bit expensive for what I do, but would like to try it.
